Chapter Two: A New Beginning.
''Naruto..?'' I questioned again.
No reply. I grabbed his shoulder and shook him a little. Pulling back from a daze he finally turned over and looked at me.
''You, ok?'' I asked.
''Yea, I'm fine. Just a lot to take in, you know?'' He replied.
I reached in his car window and pressed the unlock button. I opened the door and reached across Naruto and turned the ignition off.
''Come on Naruto. We're going to talk this over by my car. Sasuke get Sakura and meet us there.''
Naruto nodded his head in a reply and stepped out of the car by my side. Sasuke leaned over his shoulder and started talking to the back seat. Sakura must have been hiding there. I turned and started to walk back to my Hummer. Shikamaru stood leaning against the side of the car by the pump. Temari was in the driver's seat watching our approach and Kankuro and Kiba were talking to each other near the hood of the car. Tenten appeared at my side and took my hand in hers. I glanced down at her. See looked like she survived an explosion. Her fingers were twitching as the rest of her body was shaking. I put a little pressure around her fingers in an attempt of reassurance and comfort.
As we approached the others, I did not drop her hand, but held on tighter. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura walked up behind me and formed a rugged circle by the hood of my car.
''Ok. What the fuck was that?'' Sasuke remarked. ''It jumped on top of the car and peeled back the hood. No animal in the world can do that. Let alone a man.''
''I don't know, Sasuke.'' Naruto answered.
''I want some god damn answers!'' Sasuke yelled.
''Sasuke, he doesn't know.'' Sakura cried on the verge of tears.
''Dude, we all want answers. Everyone is scared.'' Shikamaru stated as others mumbled 'yeas' and 'he's right' in approval. ''We need to put what we do know together, so we can figure out what to do.'' He added.
''For one-'' I spoke up, ''Something happened in the city, that caused everyone to evacuate. Two, whatever is out there tried to harm us. It could be something totally different from what's happening in the city, but then again it could be part of whats going on."
''What else do we know?'' Tenten asked.
Naruto stepped forward, ''Back in the city, I had the strangest feeling we should get out of the city. Not because of the chaos, but because there are a lot of people. I just have this gut feeling, telling me to get away from a large number of people.''
''Your crazy. I say we find people so we know what the hell is going on.'' Sasuke inquired.
''I agree, find people.'' Kankuro nodded.
''Naruto might be right. Whenever he has those feelings he is usually right.'' Sakura stammered.
''Yea, I agree with Sakura.'' Tenten smiled a bit.
''This is no democracy. I'm leaving to find help.'' Sasuke stated, turning away from the group.
''We should not leave each other. We need to stick together, Sasuke.'' Sakura pleaded.
''Oh please, Sakura, spare me.'' Sasuke smirked. ''Now those for finding help come with me. And those for their crazy going 'away from people and hiding' stay here and wait forever.''
Sasuke stepped back from the group. Kankuro walked up to stand by him. Everyone else stayed put and did not move, our eyes on Sasuke and Kankuro.
''No other sane people?'' He questionably joked. ''Very well, we will take Naruto's car. The keys Neji.'' He opened his hand in my direction.
''Not my car. '' Naruto said glaring at Sasuke.
''Just let him, Naruto.'' Shikamaru mumbled in his ear.
Wordlessly, I fished around in my pocket, grasping the keys, I pulled them out and tossed them towards him. His hand rose up and easily caught them. With no more talk he and Kankuro got into the black Cadillac. The engine started and the car backed out and turned onto the road. It took a left at the corner, heading towards Victoria, a major city outside of their capital. Its lights soon disappeared as it went down the road.
''I really can't believe they just fucking left.'' Kiba remarked.
''And took my car.'' Naruto moaned.
''Alright, what now?'' Kiba sighed.
''Well, acording to Naruto, get out of a highly populated place. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere.'' I said.
''We can go to my dad's lake house.'' Shikamaru stated. ''Its out in the middle of nowhere. So if what Naruto says is right it will be perfect. You go through this little town and 18 miles out in the countryside and hills, you'll find the house. Each house out there is a mile apart, near a huge lake.''
''Sounds good.'' Temari said, smiling at Shikamaru.
''I don't know how long we will be there. Shikamaru does your lake house have any food or water?" I asked.
He looked down in thought, ''Yea but not enough for-'' he pointed his finger counting all of us, ''seven people.''
''Well, I was just in the convinent store,'' Tenten added, ''we could 'borrow' some supplies.''
''You mean steal.'' Kiba chuckled. ''I'm in.''
''Alright, Tenten, Kiba, and Naruto come with me to get food and water. Sakura look for medical supplies we might need for later. Shikamaru... just keep doing what your doing.'' I commanded.
''Eh..'' Shikamaru smiled from his position on the car.
We turned away from the car and headed towards the convenient store. Tenten ran in and started grabbing chips of all sorts, while Kiba was salivating over donuts a box. I followed Sakura and jumped over the counter. She stopped and looked through pain killers and different sorts of medication. I walked up to the 'Staff Only' door. I turned the knob and surprisingly it was unlocked. The door swung open as I pushed it. A computer was sitting in the corner along with store records. I looked around the room for anything useful as my eyes fell on a shotgun mounted on the wall. I didn't really know what to expect but you can never be too careful. I reached up and grabbed ahold of it. Opening the cartridge, I noticed the gun was empty. Shit. It would be no use. Putting the gun under my arm, I searched the drawers. And sure enough, I found a box of shotgun shells. I grapped the box and opened it. Twenty rounds. Good enough. I stepped out of the room and closed the door behind me. Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of the gun, but she didnt ask any questions. She put the last of the pill bottles in a plastic bag and hopped over the counter again. Gripping the gun tighter I stepped over the counter, in time to see Kiba arms full of sugary foods. As he walked by the counter he threw down some rolled up bills of money. I chuckled at the sight. I still wish he would get supplies that would last, though..
I followed him out the door to my awaiting Hummer. Sakura, and the others were loading the back of the car. Shikamaru was leaning by the driver's seat talking quietly to Temari, before noticing me and turned to face me.
''Its full. About a hundred dollars of gas.'' Shikamaru yawned.
''Hn.'' I replied, putting the shotgun in the floorboard of the back seat, along with its shells.
''Its going to be a tight fit.'' Naruto remarked.
The above light for the gas station flickered and went out drowning us in darkness. The convenient store lights soon followed after.
''I think we've run out of time, guys.'' Kiba gulped.
Tenten quickly climbed into the passenger seat as Temari, Shikamaru, and Sakura jumped into the back seat. Naruto and Kiba somehow squashed theirselves in the cargo area of the car, behind the back seat. I quickly walked around and closed the cargo door for them and returned to the driver's seat. I closed the door and put the key in the ingition, starting the car.
''Where to Shikamaru?" I asked, pulling out of the gas station and onto the road.
''Where Sasuke went, but instead of a left, take a right." he replied.
I pulled up to the stop sign and took a right on the road. We drove in silence for the most part. Some of us had small conversations. But, let me tell you, nothing creepier than driving with cornfields on either side of you. The fire from the city could not be seen, but smoke still rose into the sky. Our little pit stop only took twenty minutes. So my guess was that it was around four in the morning. Maybe four fifteen. This night seemed to go on forever.
I kept my brights on. I didn't want another incident like the last one.
I glanced up in my rear-view mirror, only Kiba was asleep. Naruto watched the road behind me. The others looked out their window or stared straight ahead at the road.
"Shikamaru, I meant to ask you. How far away is your dad's lake house?'' I asked, looking in my rear-view mirror.
''Well, we past Kingsville. About two more hours. Its by a town called Bandara.'' He stated.
''So we won't arrive untill morning?'' Tenten moaned.
''Uh..'' Sakura agreed with Tenten.
A whistling sound sounded in the distance, along with a screech.
''What was that?'' Naruto stuttered.
''Slow down, Neji, stop the car." Tenten quietly yelled.
I pulled the car to a stop and turn the ignition off and looked over at her. ''What?''
''Shh..'' she replied.
I listened closely to the night. Quiet. Nothing.. Wait. Shouting was coming from up ahead. Ten car lengths from us was a group of people. Farmers from the look of it. Each was carrying guns. Two stocky looking men lead the group. A women carrying a baby was behind them, then behind her a younger man with a rifle pointing all around him, looking for a target. A smaller looking boy made up the end of the group. Unlike the others, he help no gun and was limping and holding his arm, as he struggled to keep up with the group.
I now see why Tenten stopped me. If we kept going we would have intersected with them. And they don't look all too friendly. I waited a couple of more minutes untill they were out of sight and hearing distance. I placed the key back in the ignition, started the car, and countined to drive.
''Close call.'' I murmered.
''They could of helped us.'' Sakura remarked.
Shikamaru turned to her, ''You never know, Sakura, when people are afraid and their life is at stake they will do about anything.'' he tried to smile, ''Besides the last kid in tow kind of freaked me out.. I mean what happened to him?''
''Shot himself. You know how farmers are.'' Kiba chuckled.
''What a educated guess Kiba. Maybe..-'' I started to say but my Hummer skidded, and make a horrible screeching sound. I looked in the rear-view mirror, seeing sparks coming from my left back tire. I turned the car onto the emergency lane and put it into park.
Opening the door, I leaned over to Shikamaru, ''Come check this out with me.''
We walked around to the back of the car.
''My left tire must of blown out.'' I stated.
Shikamaru and I leaned down by the tire. The rubber was almost completely gone, the metal rim was showing. This was old but why now? At the worst time.
''Uh Neji..?" Shikamaru asked.
''Yea?'' I looked at him.
''I don't think your tire had a blow out."
''Huh? What do mean?" I asked.
He reached into what was left of the rubber on the tire. Grasping a small object he pulled back, yanking it free. He held it up so I could see. This object was not a nail… But strangely a bullet, instead.